Piper PA-28R-200 N8900E

Summary

On 20 July 2010 at about 20:30 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N8900E, operated by Tradewind Aviation International LLC, was involved in an accident near New Bern, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 July 2010 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

New Bern, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Coastal Carolina Regional (EWN)

Coordinates

35.0731, -77.0431

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-200

Registration

N8900E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Tradewind Aviation International LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Bern → New Bern

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA370

Nobody was injured.

Inadequate quality control at the fuel servo overhaul facility, which resulted in contamination of the fuel servo and a subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident flight was the first flight after an overhauled fuel servo was installed on the airplane. During initial climb, about 600 feet above ground level, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. The pilot performed a 180-degree turn and attempted to land in the opposite direction of takeoff; however, the engine lost all power during final approach, and the airplane impacted a fence about 150 feet prior to the runway. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any anomalies with the airframe or engine, and adequate fuel was onboard. A subsequent teardown examination of the fuel servo revealed that small, clear, spherical particles were found on the threads of the inlet fitting and plug of the fuel inlet screen. The particles were consistent with glass beads and were also found in the manual mixture control valve chamber and on the unmetered side of the fuel diaphragm. One particle was found underneath the diaphragm. According to the Federal Aviation Administration principle maintenance inspector of the company that overhauled the fuel servo, the glass beads found in the accident fuel servo were similar to the glass beads used by the company. Although the company did not bead-blast their fuel servos, bead-blasting was performed in other locations in the factory, including areas approximately 20 feet from where the fuel servos were overhauled.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.